I really love embellishing and decoupaging old pieces of unused furniture to give them a new life. Here are some simple tips on how to make a decorative country cupboard. You can choose anything that you like to decorate yours, wallpaper, gift wrap, magazines, etc.

And you can also choose to paint it in any colour emulsion paint, I have chosen cream and pale green for mine.

Start by rubbing down the surface of the cupboard using fine grade sandpaper to prepare the surface. Remove any existing polish etc before painting. Then paint the exterior of the cupboard in a neutral colour emulsion, I have chosen to use cream.

Then leave it to dry thoroughly. Rub it down again using the fine grade sandpaper to give it a slightly distressed and worn appearance. This is how you give painted wooden furniture a more aged vintage look.

Then pick out the mouldings and any details of the country cupboard using another colour emulsion paint, I have chosen to use a pale green colour. Use an artists paint brush to paint in any details like this. Let it dry again, then sand it down again to add to the distressed vintage look.

Next, cut out your designs. Firstly to fit into the back of the cupboard. Wallpaper or gift wrap works really well for this. Paste it into place using the wallpaper paste.

Now, select a design from the paper, this could be a fish, animal or flower, or whatever you wish. Carefully cut the shape out and use it to decorate the surface of your country cupboard. You can also draw on some background designs using a wax crayon. This adds another layer of texture to your cupboard design.

Then finally, paint both the inside and outside of the cupboard using two coats of matt varnish. Make sure that you leave it to dry thoroughly between coats. This will seal and protect the paint and the paper designs.